Days after militants killed 32 civilians in Assam’s Bodo-majority districts, angry locals protested on Sunday calling for Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s visit to the violence-hit district.
The locals protesting in the Nankekhadrabari area have reportedly refused to perform the last rites of their killed family members until Gogoi visits the violence-hit area.
They alleged that the administrations is threatening to take action against them if they do not busy the dead.
“Does our life have no value? We are only demanding that we are protected and we are not attacked and killed in future” they said.
Indefinite curfew has been imposed in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Baksa districts even as scared villagers have fled the area fearing for their safety. However, curfew was relaxed in Chirang district for six hours from 10 am.
The protest comes a day after the probe into the incident was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and 22 people were arrested in connection with the violence.
The attack took place on Thursday night when the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) anti-faction militants opened fire in two villages of Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts (BTAD) killing five people on the spot.
The next attack took place in Kokrajhar district where eight people were killed.
As per reports, militants targeted the villagers for not voting for their candidate in the elections. However, police suspects that the attacks are in retaliation for the ongoing anti-insurgency operation by the security forces in the BTAD region, where some NDFB militants have been killed recently.
Army troops have been deployed in the area even as more paramilitary troops are expected to be positioned.
